There is a need to provide, in private homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, homes for the aged and elsewhere, support structures which an infirm or partially incapacitated person may use for assistance in raising and lowering themselves between lying, sitting and standing positions, and in moving about. There is also a need to provide structures which can support shelves, bedside trays, toilet paper holders, etc. to aid the infirm or partially incapacitated person.
Safety support devices are known in the art. One type of support device is in the form of handrails which are fastened to the walls of the home via bolts or screws to provide a support structure. Although the handrails provide the necessary support for a user, a problem exists in that the fasteners securing the handrails must penetrate the walls which leaves holes in the walls if the handrails are to be removed. Furthermore, the handrails only provide a usable support structure near the walls of the home.
Other known safety support devices generally comprise a post having an upper end for abutment against or fastening to a ceiling and a lower end for abutment against or fastening to a floor. The post may be adjustable such that once it is in the correct position, it may be longitudinally extended, thereby causing the upper and lower ends to abut firmly against the ceiling and floor, respectively, and to accommodate different room heights. Once installed, the structure should provide the necessary safety support and reduce the likelihood of lateral displacement of the post due to lateral pulling and impacts thereon, e.g. from fails.
These known structures are deficient in that during installation thereof, the installer must approximate the required longitudinal pressure to be placed on the upper end and lower end to ensure that they are properly and safely installed. If the longitudinal pressure is too low, the post may not provide an individual with sufficient support, and the individual might pull the post out of position, with consequent dangers to the individual. If the longitudinal pressure is too high, the upper and lower ends may damage the surfaces against which they abut. This is especially true in the case of drywall surfaces where, if the longitudinal pressure is too high, the end of the structure abutting against the drywall may buckle and/or crush it.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a safety support structure which, when installed, provides the necessary lateral support during use by an individual without putting the floor or ceiling surfaces at unnecessary risk during the installation of the safety support structure.
Moreover, prior art structures normally comprise a single post, adapted to be mounted vertically in a room. Such structures proved support only in very restricted locations, and are only useful for an individual within reach of them. They serve little if any additional purpose.